'Hate' slogans by minor: Two including PFI activist arrested

A short video of the boy sitting on the shoulder of a person during the "Save the Republic" rally held by the PFI in Alappuzha on May 21 and raising allegedly provocative slogans has gone viral on social media.

Alappuzha: In a case related to 'hate' sloganeering by a child at a Popular Front of India rally at Alappuzha, police arrested two members on Tuesday - PFI Alappuzha district president Navas and Ansar, the person seen holding the child on his shoulders.

Alappuzha South police registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Vijayakumar PK under Sections 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295-A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 505 (1) (b) (act against the public tranquillity), 505 (1) (c), 505 (2), 506(criminal intimidation) of the IPC, and 120 (o) of KP Act.

While two have been arrested, PFI Alappuzha district secretary Mujeeb and other identifiable persons have also been named in the FIR. A short video of the boy sitting on the shoulder of a person during the "Save the Republic" rally held by the PFI in Alappuzha on May 21 and raising allegedly provocative slogans has gone viral on social media.

Meanwhile, the PFI activists protested against the police action at Eerattupettah.

When the issue became controversial, PFI office bearers had said that these types of provocative slogans were not approved by PFI and that they would investigate the matter. In a press note, the PFI state secretary, CA Raoof had said that all the slogans that need to be raised in the rally were given to the participants after prior approval. "It is not the policy of the organisation to provoke or raise provocative slogans," Raoof had said.

Read:'Hate' slogans by kid: Kerala police launch probe, NCPCR seeks FIR on instigators